October 2020 Update: Fil-Am History Month
Hello, Friends,
It's the end of October! How did time fly so fast? Our last post was in July!
I found a draft for our August post and it went something like this: "August is about to end. What a month it has been! What a year it continues to be. We thought it couldn't get worse with the twin pandemics. But then the triple digit heatwaves came, lightnings struck, and the whole state of California went on fire..."
No wonder we skipped the August post.
Then virtual school/distance learning started, bringing many to tears. Students, parents, teachers, and everybody else who cares about learning—none was spared. We're all still scrambling around for better ways to go to school (and work).
No wonder we skipped the September post, too.
Then October came around, full of hope and joy as we celebrated Filipinx American History Month. Aptly, the theme this year is Fil-Am History of Activism. Earlier in the month, we were invited to join South San Francisco Library's celebration with other children's books authors, publishers, and illustrator, hosted by San Mateo County Poet Laureate, Aileen Cassinetto. It was a totally fun hour so please check it out!
We were also invited by the Daly City Library to join Daly City's Kasayahan celebration as well as to an hour of reading and conversation with Librarian Celina Tirona. That, too, was fun!
Meraki Radio also invited us to talk about the press and how we are celebrating activism. I happened to be in Morro Bay for a family vacation so I got to talk about the significance of Morro Bay in our Fil-Am history. (There is a Morro Bay commemoration of the first recorded arrival of our Filipino ancestors back in 1587 (!!!) as part of the Manila galleon trade. It is believed that during this time, some Filipinos who were brought on board to serve on the ships may have jumped ship and either got killed or became part of the indigenous communities where they landed.)
With the combination of FAHM events and other personal celebrations (e.g. my birthday, wedding anniversary, creation of our own private school, work), October sure feels like a winner. So before it ends, I want to send my gratitudes!
I'll be speaking at the University of Texas next week, via Zoom, of course! That's going to be a new territory for me—a university setting AND “in” Texas! I'll let you know how that goes.
And, of course, there's the election. PLEASE VOTE if you still haven't, because your life depends on it.
Until next post!